Old Tucson and the Tohono O’odham – May 3, 2019

President Bob Grady gaveled the meeting to order at 12:10 pm and then led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

M Craig offered the spring invocation.

New member Denny Bastron received his Red Badge.

Guests

Introductions by Paul Bennett. Joining us for the meeting:
• Joan Buth, Tucson Old Pueblo Rotary Club.
• Vanessa Havener, (Nonprofit Management) former Youth Exchange Program participant in D5500; her dad Michael Owen (civil engineer) is a past president of the Catalina Rotary Club. Vanessa will be president of the Boca Raton RC 2019-2020. Her husband-retired military is an American Airlines pilot.
• Michael Owen
• Bob Westerman, Jo Anne’s husband.

Queen of Hearts

Today featured the largest pot in our history. Michael Troughton awarded Maria Elena McElroy $25 for the joker she drew.

Announcements

PP Pat Egbert informed us that the Big Raffle to support our Center for Creative Arts for the Boys & Girls Clubs is a Go.

Sergeant at Arms

Sgt at Arms Norm Rebenstorf focused his questions on Codes of Conduct like the 4-Way Test and Code of the West.
Happy Bucks: Maria Elena McElory shared the news that the Mariachi Conference was a huge success with 870 students participating.
Elise Jumbelick said her pregnancy is going well and thanked the members for their support. She gave a leg up in honor of the club and her nephew who was finally released from the hospital the end of April and hopefully will be allowed to go home to Yuma.

Program

Jo Anne Westerman introduced the program and speaker Joe M.Camarillo who was born in Ajo, AZ, lived off the reservation, graduated from University of Arizona in hotel management and was eventually hired to focus on the history of Old Tucson and the essence of the many cultures who developed it. He first researched his own Tohono O’odham culture.
Built in 1939 by Columbia Pictures for the film Arizona, Old Tucson was fashioned as a replica of 1860 Tucson. In order to create the adobe structures, tribal workers from the Tohono O’odham Nation were hired. (Those buildings still stand for the 80th Anniversary.) People from the area were hired including Tohono O’odham as Native Americans.
Joe brought amazing baskets, jewelry, blankets and photos.

President Bob closed the meeting at 1:30 pm.

Click on a photo below to open the gallery and read the photo captions.